Registering apparatus for watering-carts



(No Model.)

S A. O HAR LES. REGISTERING APPARATUS FOR WATERING OARTS. No. 433,071. Patented July 29,1890.

WITNESSES INVENTOI? ka/15% 02 5),, uM sy ij rme UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. CHARLES, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

REGISTERING APPARATUS FOR WATERlNG-CARTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,071, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed March 24, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. CHARLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Registering Apparatus for \Vatering-Oarts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in registering apparatus for Watering-carts, and is intended to accurately register the amount of water obtained from a source of supply for use in sprinkling streets.

It consists of an apparatus placed upon a cart so arranged that upon the .admission of waterit is registered upon a dial forming part of the apparatus.

It further consists of the arrangement of such apparatus so that upon the first entrance of water to the, cart registration is instant-ly made, and so long as it is being supplied the registering apparatus remains inoperative, bnt upon the removal of the supply-pipe the mechanism assumes a condition to immediately register a repetition of the filling.

The object of my invention is to correctly and automatically register the number of times that a water-cart is filled, and to so arrange the registering apparatus that it is impossible for the person who fills the cart to avoid registering each and every filling and to prevent any possibility of deceit or falsifying amounts of water obtained from a supply for the purpose of watering or sprinkling streets.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal view, partially in section, of the apparatus placed upon a cart. Fig. 2 represents a part cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the float-pan. Fig. 4 represents a front view of the registering mechanism. Fig. 5 representsa rear View of said register with operating mechanism attached. Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of a watering-cart provided with the registering device and illustrating the manner of supplying the water through it to the tank.

The same numbers in the several figures represent the same or similar parts.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is a casting or box secured in a frame2 which surrounds the openserial No. 345,174. (No model.)

ing in the top of the cart. 3 is a pan supported in said box or casting by means of supports 4 and 5. Said pan is divided into two compartments by a partition, as indicated at 6, a space being left near the bottom, as indicated at 7, whereby communication -is had between the two compartments in the bottom of the pan. The dotted lines 8 represent a float which is free to lift as far as represented by the dotted lines 9. 10 is a shaft located centrally in the float and free to pass through the boX or casting 1. In the top of this shaft is a pin 11, which fits in a slot- 12 at the end of an arm 13, said arm being secured to the back of the clock mechanism, as will be illustrated and described farther on.

Referring to Fig. 2, the casting or frame 1 is represented in cross-section secured to the frame 2 by means of hinges 14 and padlock 15, said frame 2 being secured to the cart 16 around the opening, as before stated. In the top of the casting 1 is an opening 17, which is directly over the pan 3 in the opposite compartment to that in which the float is located.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that this float is free in one compartment, and that the other compartment, indicated by 18, has a small hole 19 located centrally therein. It Will be noticed that the pan 3 is supported some little distance below the top of the frame 1, so that there is an open space all around the upper edge of the pan.

In Fig. 4, 22 represents the face of the register, on which are printed the circles 23 24, the. The hand 25 moves one space, as indicated thereon, for each time the tank is filled, and is'operated, as will be seen in Fig. 5, by the arm 13, which is pivoted on the back side of the register in such a manner that when it is lifted in the position indicated by the dotted lines it forwardsthe ratchet 26 one tooth by means of thepawl 27. The ratchet is held in this position by means of the stoppawl 28, so that when the arm 13 drops back to its normal position it is ready to forward the ratchet another tooth, when it assumes a position indicated by the dotted lines again.

There being 10 teeth in this ratchet, one

I the other compartment.

tank has been filled.

ing the tank. The next circle 24 on the register is geared to represent one hundred flllings for each revolution of the hand, and so on to an indefinite number of indications, as may be desired.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The tank being empty, the float S is in its n'ormal position at the bottom of the pan. If We apply a piece of hose, which is connected with a source of water-supply with a nozzle or pipe and place it in the opening 17, formed in the upper part of the box or casting 1, and admit water through it, it will fall into the right-hand compartment of the pan, or in that compartment which has no float. The water immediately passes underneath the partition 6 and causes the float to lift in The partition 6 is intended only to prevent the water from splashing against the float and interfere with its proper and easy working. The water pass ing into the tank is so very much greater in amount than the small orifice in the bottom of the pan will carry away that the tank will overflow and the water will enter the cart mostly by the overflow from the pan. So long then as the water is being admit-ted the float will remain in a lifted position. Thus the arm 13 assumes the position indicated by the dotted lines, and consequently forwards the ratchet one tooth, thereby indicatin that the After the water is once turned on it must not be shut off until the tank is full; otherwise a second operation of the apparatus will occur and will be detrimental to the person receiving the water. hen the water-pipe is removed the water remaining in the pan which keeps the float up will have exit through the small hole 19 represented in Fig. 3. This of course will allow the float to return to its normal position, ready for the next filling of the tank.

The most important and valuable features of this invention are that a person who obtains Water from a city or company at a certain rate cannot by any means cheat or falsify the register of the filling of his tank. IIaving once turned the Water onto the pipe to fill the tank the admission of a gallon or two, according to the size of the pan, immediately raises the float and indicates that water has been admitted. The water cannot get out of the pan sufficiently fast through the small hole 19 to let the float back and register again While the tank is being filled,nor can the float return to its normal position while the tank is overflowing. In order to let the float back the water must be shutoff, and when it is again admitted it performs its operation of registering.

This device admits of the supply to tanks through a large pipe or with a considerable volume of water at a time, and compels the party who uses it to fill his tank full each time, and before admitting any more water of thoroughly emptying it. It will be seen then that if the capacity of the tank is known in cubic feet or gallons an equitable charge can be made in obtaining revenue from these tanks. I find from practical use of this apparatus that much time and labor can be saved in watering streets by allowing parties to obtain their supply from hydrants anywhere upon the water service. Instead of having a special hydrant with a meter attached to it to register the amount of water drawn from it, and obliging these carts if they are emptied to return to this special hydrant or stand-pipe to renew their supply, they can connect a pipe or hose to any hydrant upon the route and obtain their supply, which will be cor rectly registered. It therefore accurately registers to the water department the number of times that a cart has been filled, and in this manner, together with the knowledge of the capacity of the tank, a fixed rate can be made per gallon or cubic foot with companiesor departments operating the street-watering system, which will be satisfactory and equitable to both parties.

The precise detailed construction of this apparatus may be varied and still maintain the spirit of my invention. For instance, the pan may be supported underneath a cover which sets into the opening in the cart, instead of in a projecting case, as indicated; a different form of registering mechanism from the precise arrangement shown here may be used, or equivalent means of preventing the in-rushing water from affecting the operation of the float may be used-as, for instance, a sieve in lieu of the'partition or the admittance of the water at a distance sufficiently removed from the float to prevent a splashing which would affect it, the con struction herein shown and described being that form most practical for general use; but these main features, consisting of a pan or receptacle provided with a float arranged so that upon the admittance of water to the tank it will cause the float to be lifted and thereby operate a registering mechanism and an orifice in the float-pan of much less area than that which supplies the tank, the whole being arranged in a tank, so that the water has to pass through it to fill the tank, forms my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to obtain by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination, with a Water-tank, of a pan supported in the path of Water-supply, a float located therein and connected to a registering mechanism, an outlet-space atthe top of said pan to admit of its overflow, an outlet in the bottom of said pan of much smaller area than the supply, whereby the pan will drain, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a water-tank, of a pan supported therein, a float located in one end of said pan, a registering apparatus at tached thereto to be operated by the lifting of the float, a partition dividing said pan into two compartments, having a space near the bottom of the pan to form communication between the two compartments, an outlet-orifice in the bottom of said pan located in the opposite compartment to that containing the float, an inlet-passage located directly over said compartment, of larger area than the outlet-passage in the bottom of the pan, an open space at the top of said pan to admit of its overflow, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a water-tank, of a frame surrounding an opening in the top of said tank, a box or casting hinged to said frame in such a manner that it can be opened, means of securing or looking said box or casting, a pan supported therein having two mpartments, one of which contains a float, an open space near the bottom of-said pan in the partition which separates the two compartments, an orifice in the bottom of the pan of suflicient area to drain it, an inlet-oriflce in the top of said frame or casting directly over the opposite compartment, in which the float is contained, of larger area than the draining-hole in the bottom of the pan, a registering mechanism located on the top of said box or casting, having connection with the float in such a manner that when said float is raised by the water contained in said pan the hands upon the registering-dial will be operated to indicate the movement of the float, a case or cover inclosing said registering mechanism, through which the dial may be observed, an overflow-space at the top of said pan, by means of which it will overflow when water is being admitted thereto, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The herein-described improvement in registering apparatus for tanks or wateringcarts, consisting'of a pan supported in the opening of said cart and located directly in the path of supply to said tank, having a float located therein, a partition separating the float from that portion of the pan into which the supply is directed, communication between the supply compartment and the float compartment, an outlet in the bottom of said pan of such dimensions that when the supply of water is cut oif the pan will drain, an overflow-space at. the top of said pan, a registering mechanism attached to the float in such a manner that upon the lifting of the float indication will be made upon the registering-dial, and upon the return of said float to its normal condition the registering-clock Will be left in position to be operated again, the whole arranged substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

STEPHEN A. CHARLES.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM MABON, JOHN W. LELL. 

